Whooo hoooo - Lookee...New Stamps!

A Hootin Good Time is a new set from CC Designs! Isn't this owl adorable? This set comes with a bunch of adorably drawn owls, a tree, a branch, some sayings and the leaves for the branches (or clouds). This is my first sample from the new releases from CC Designs. The new sets will be available on May 4th at 12:01 am! You'll love this new set and I am sure you'll "have to have it"! There are 16 pieces in this set and there are 8 owls! All of them have their own unique personality! Run over and check them out at All That Scraps! Admittadly the saying "whoo! hoo!" isn't in the set..this saying came from a Stampin' Up! set called Just Celebrate. It was just so cute I had to add it to this card. The designer paper is from the Fall Flowers package from Stampin' Up! as well. I hope you enjoy it!

I Love a Fun Purse

Well, this weekend I am off with some girlfriends doing something I have been waiting to do for the past year! I'm in Fort Wayne at the Vera Bradley sale. I LOVE Vera Bradley bags and don't really carry much else. Mind you though, that doesn't mean I have a lot of them. They are pricey for my pocket book (if you spend on purses, it means you have less to spend on stamps!). I own a Capri Melon backpack and a Mesa Red On the Go bag. Just 2. My Mesa is my fall/winter and my capri is my spring/summer. At the sale, they have bags for $10! Wallets for $3! I can't wait to spruce up my collection. My goal is to find a Java Blue Bowler. And as many more as I can in varying prints!

Anyway, back to the sample! This is another of the girls from Glam Girlz set and she is carrying a purse, so I thought it would be perfect card to send to one of my girlfriends after our weekend away. I used some Basic Grey Mellow paper and paper pieced the pants and the purse. These girls are perfect for paper piecing. I don't do too well cutting out little details for paper piecing and the large open spaces on the Girlz make it easy for me to spruce em up with printed paper! I used the Stardust pen on her glasses as well and sparkled up the stripes in her pants. The ribbon and brads are from Stampin' Up! Enjoy!

FREEBIES at All That Scraps!

Check out Christine's latest post at the All That Scraps blog: http://atsblog.typepad.com/ats/ , maybe you'll be a lucky winner! Check back tomorrow to see a sneak peek of one of the new sets too!

"Megan" in Basic Grey

FINALLY! For Christmas our oldest daughter wanted her own room. She had been sharing with her 5 year old sister and the 3 year old had her own room. So, the 8 year old got her Christmas wish but up until Saturday the walls hadn't been painted so it still looked like a baby room. This Saturday 2 of my girlfriends came over and helped me paint her room while she was away with daddy for the weekend. It isn't completely finished. See that strip of white at the top of the wall? In there I will be painting some paisleys and flowers. She got a chocolate quilt for her bed that has flowers and paisleys embroidered with white thread throughout. It is such a grown up room.

I made her the monogram letters for Christmas and up until today they were sitting in a drawer. I used some large wooden letters from JoAnn's, some chocolate colored paint for the sides of the letters, various Basic Grey paper from their Blush line, and some chipboard from Stampin' Up!. With paper as beautiful as Basic Grey's there is no need to put all kinds of "stuff" all over the letters. I decorated the "M" with some Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon and some Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon. I used my word window punch and punched out three words from Everyday Flexible Phrases - "sweet", "special", and "daughter" and hung those with linen thread from the ribbons. The "E" and "A" are plain. The "G" has a chipboard flower I built with Stampin' Up!'s chipboard blossoms. It was so easy to make because all the petals are separate so I just covered each petal with different paper. The center of the flower has a pink rhinestone brad in the middle of it. And finally, the "N" just has some more ribbon on it. The letters are all hung with some double stitched chocolate colored ribbon I fond at JoAnn's. I am really excited to see her room coming together for her!

It's Been So Long!

I apologize for not getting a post on here in so long! Really, I haven't even stamped since the last posting! Last night I sat down and made a project from a new stamp set that Christine at CC Designs has created! I can't wait to share it with you. But for today here is a simple and easy card that we did at my last stamp camp...We were making spring cards, anything with flowers. I love this color combo and remember one of the Christmas cards we did at my Christmas Card Stamp a Stack was done in these colors. I guess the colors aren't very springy, but I think they are pretty all the same.

Supplies Used: Purely Pomegranate cs, ink, Soft Sky cs, ink, Mellow Moss cs, ink, silver brads, Moss gingham ribbon, Mellow Moss grosgrain, Fabulous Flowers set, Always set, Sanded background.

I was at Cha!!!

Can you believe it? I can't. I bet I had a great time. No, I'm sure I did. I'm sure the excitement was amazing! How much you want to bet that I hung out with Taylor VanBruggen, Julie Ebersole and maybe even Nicole Hedy? Here's the story....I was looking at the Eclectic Paperie blog http://eclecticpaperie.blogspot.com/ and they were chitter chattering about them now carrying Lizzie Anne Designs stamps (you know I love their stuff!). So, they were saying that they saw them at Cha and loved the samples they had in their booth and that they have such talent in their design team and then I saw it! MY CARD! I sent it to the ladies at Lizzie Anne Designs some time ago. I think I sent it when I returned a stamp set to them that they had sent me in error. Now, let me say I am NOT a design team member at Lizzie Anne, though I would love to be! So, if anyone over at LAD sees this post remember, you must have liked me a bit to stuff me in your bag and take me to Cha! Give me a call, I'd love to be a part of your design team...(he, he, he) If you click on the link above and look at the 5th picure down my card is on the french memo board (the one on the left with the fairy). Have a super day!

All That Scraps Sketch

Amy Rysavy has been giving us gals on the design team at All That Scraps sketches for Fridays and as of yet I haven't been able to participate. But, tonight (or should I say this morning?) I made myself participate...I say that I made myself do it because it is now 12:05 AM!!! I was tired at 9:15 but I have a workshop tomorrow (I still haven't decided what we are doing) and a stamp a stack on Saturday. I had to get my stuff cut for that! (And I still have one card to cut up!!) But, I wanted to play with the new Beautiful Butterflies set that Christine sent to us! Check out the All That Scraps blog to see more samples with this sketch!

I used some paper that I found recently and I loved the colors! It is made by scenic route and is designed by Sarah Milne. I stamped the butterfly with Timber Brown Staz On and colored it with my Pumpkin Pie, Apricot and Soft Sky Stampin' Up! inks. Then I stamped the butterfly onto some vellum card stock and did the stained glass technique and colored the vellum wings. Then I adhered them to make this beauty 3-d. I hope you all have a great weekend! I don't know if I will have a chance to share the last couple projects from the stamp a stack until late this weekend but I'll try!

Hello Spring!

Sample number 2 from my up-coming class. I adore Bashful Blue with just about any shade of red but this one uses Real Red. I am also really loving the new striped ribbon from Stampin' Up!. I got the basic idea for this card from someone on Splitcoaststampers but I changed it up a bit. The greeting is from Hi & Hello. It was on my first order in January when the new catalog came out and this is the first time I have inked it up! Isn't that terrible?! If you are attending on Saturday, I look forward to seeing you!

Supplies Used: Bashful Blue cs, ink, Real Red cs, ink, striped ribbon, Certainly Celery cs, ink, Old Olive ink, Brocade Blue ink, Whisper White cs, So Saffron ink, Circle Punch, Celery Grosgrain ribbon, Pick a Petal set.

Stamp Camp This Saturday

I have a spring cards stamp camp scheduled for this Saturday at 10 am. If you are in the Flint, Michigan area and came come, please feel free - the ladies will be making a total of 8 cards (4 designs, 2 of each) and the cost is $15. Just let me know in advance!

Today is a beautiful day and we have been lucky enough to have had several nice days recently. The frogs are all singin their song in the woods behind our house! All the cards in this class will be floral themed! Bring on spring!

Supplies Used: Close to Cocoa cs, Groovy Guava cs, ink, Afternoon Tea Designer Paper, Versa Mark ink, white embossing powder, Double Circle Punch, Chocolate Poly-Twill ribbon, Slit Punch, Canvas Background, So Much.

More Presents!?!

If you check out the All That Scraps blog: http://atsblog.typepad.com/ats/ and just reply to Christine's latest post about the butterfly set, you can be entered for yet another give-a-way! Check out the samples she has posted with that set! Really beautiful. I have been having fun using the chicks and the birthday set (all you have to do is look at the last several posts here on my blog to see how much I am LOVING the birthday set!)

Do you like this one? I LOVE it! I don't usually mix patterned papers very well. I get all nervous thinking the patterns don't really match, so when a company makes an entire line of paper they usually take the guess work out of it for me. There are papers that I really like...and then there are very few paper lines that I think, "I need to buy 10 sheets of each!" These are some of those papers! They are by My Minds Eye - if you check out the collection of My Minds Eye paper at All that Scraps, you'll be in heaven. Such eye candy.

This card has alot of layers on it...they are layered in differing heights too. A friend (hi Lorie!) loaned me some dimensionals at the Birch Run weekend. She said, "Just keep 'em, they are way to think..I don't like them." Well, I love that if you want a really dimensional project they are thicker than the Stampin' Up! dimensionals so you can easily stack things up. I have to find out where she got them because I used them all!

The image is water colored with Stampin' Up! inks and an aquapainter. I used Ruby Red brads on the plaid panel and Mustard and Celery grosgrain ribbon from Stampin Up! I hope you have a great day!

It's Raining Here In Michigan

This image is so fitting for the weather in Michigan today. We even had thunder today and a power surge. We had our candles out and ready for a power loss. Here is another chick from the new Hey Chicky set. I paired it with an Amuse sentiment. Wouldn't this be adorable to get if you weren't feeling well? You can't really tell from the photo, but I used Crystal Effects to create rain drops and also made a puddle at the chick's feet. I don't know where the patterned paper is from. I'm sorry. It was from some sort of paper stack - my mom shared with me again. And, don't you love those cute little dew drops in the corner??? Bet you thought that I used my Crystal Effects and waited for 2 days for it to dry..NOPE! Robin's Nest Dew Drops...they come like that in a bazillion colors. All you do is add a mini glue dot to the back and PRESTO! Check them out at All That Scraps!

Supplies Used: Certainly Celery cs, ink, 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Regal Rose cs, SW Marker, Pretty in Pink cs, ink, Black Staz On, Versa Mark, So Saffron ink, Pumpkin Pie ink, Aquapainter, Crystal Effects, Clear Robin's Nest Dew Drops, Polka Dot Background Stamp, Simply Said (Stampin' Up!), Hey Chicky set.

Hey Chicky!!

Here is my first Chicky card! Christine debuted the design team members Chicky cards yesterday and I hadn't had a chance to play with them and send her my first sample so you get to see it here first. This set is called Hey Chicky. Cute huh? And I have completely bought into the birdy stamp phase that is going on right now so any new birdies in my collection makes me sing!

I had such fun with this! This whole set is adorable and I hope to get a few more done today. If I haven't told you yet, I love the Summer Picnic designer paper from Stampin' Up. The colors are great and I have always loved blue, red and green together and this paper has lots of that! I used my Stampin Up! inks and an aqua painter to color the image and the slit punch to make the scallop border. Not a fancy card, but fun to make and easy to duplicate! Hint, hint! If you do duplicate it in some way, post your link here so I can take a peek. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

Supplies Used: Real Red cs, ink, SW Marker, Certainly Celery cs, ink, Bashful Blue cs, ink, So Saffron SW Marker, Summer Sun Marker, slit punch, Summer Picnic designer paper, Real Red Striped Ribbon, Hey Chicky set.

Its All About the Presents! And Giveaway Link!

This adorable image is one that is in the Its My Birthday Set from C.C. Designs as well as the monkey. I love it! Lulu is one of my favorite "characters" that Christine draws. (I think my favorite is Lucky but Lulu is right up there. Wait till you see the Lucky stamp in this set!) Anyway, another set that will be released Friday morning is "Hey Chicky". If you check out the All That Scraps blog http://atsblog.typepad.com/ats/ you'll see a bunch of samples that the other design team members created (mine aren't on there because I hadn't had a chance to upload and send it to Christine). BUT, the fun part is that she's giving away some fun flock and some glitter flowers just for posting a comment to her entry. So, run on over there and try to get some flock!

Now, back to this card....The color inspiration came from the printed paper. This paper is from the current Stampin Up Occasions Mini Collection catalog. It is called Summer Picnic. That fun ribbon is some that I won at the Birch Run splitcoaststampers event. It works perfectly don't you think? I colored LuLu with ink refills and an aqua painter. Lulu fit perfectly in my Marvy Giga Oval Punch. As for the sentiment....isn't that the cutest?!?!? I used my Stampin' Up! More Mustard brads for accents on the sentiment block and the card was done.

Supplies: Old Olive cs, ink, Bashful Blue cs, ink, Close to Cocoa ink, Chocolate Chip ink, Pumpkin Pie ink, More Mustard brads, wired ribbon, Its My Birthday set.

Sneak Peek!

Here is the first sneak peek from a bunch of new stuff that C.C. Designs is releasing early on Friday morning (12:01 am to be exact!) This is my absolute favorite set of the new designs and may be my favorite C.D. Designs set ever! Isn't this monkey the cutest!?! Both of the printed papers are from All That Scraps and is created by Sassafrass Lass. I used this paper at Valentines Day this year and it is perfect for spring/summer as well. The layout for this card is done for this week's sketch challenge at Splitcoaststampers. I colored this cute little guy with my Stampin' Up! ink and an aquapainter. The cupcake is a separate image in the set that I cut out and used a dimensional so he could be holding it. This set is called It's My Birthday and I am sure you will love it as much as I do! You can purchase this set at All That Scraps http://www.allthatscraps.com/. Did you realize that with orders over $10 you get free shipping?

Supplies Used: Cool Caribbean cs, ink, Sassafrass Lass printed paper, Regal Rose cs, ink, Creamy Caramel ink, Close to Cocoa ink, Chocolate Chip ink, various Stampin Write Markers, Its My Birthday Set (C.C. Designs).

The First Baby Girl

A friend of mine is having her third child and this will be the first girl. She is so excited. Julia Grace isn't due until June but some friends of her's threw her a shower today and I had much fun making her a girly card done in mom's favorite colors of pink and brown. The patterned paper is from Close to My Heart (I know, GASP, I purchased from "the other" company, but a friend had a party and I felt like I had to order something, it is really pretty paper though). The adorable fairy is from Lizzie Anne Designs. I added Stickles because, well....every girl needs some sparkle!

Be sure to check back tomorrow as I'll start sharing some adorable projects with a new set or two from the new releases from C.C. Designs. I have been playing with the new Lucky and

LuLu set...You won't be sorry!

Birthday Invite - First Sleepover!

Our oldest daughter is turning 9 next Saturday. I can't believe she is that old already! Every year since her first birthday we have had a party, except for last year. We usually do parties here at home with streamers, homemade decorations and balloons but last year she chose to have one friend spend the day with her and her daddy going bowling. This year we are having her first sleepover! YIKES! I hope it goes well. Initially I wanted a "sleepover" invitation but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. Ever since All In The Family came out, Megan has adored that set so when my friend Lorien (waving hi to her!) said I could borrow it, I knew I'd have to use it on the invites. I used some retired designer series paper from Stampin' Up! on the front and my Marvy Giga Scallop Oval. Very simple card but I really love how it turned out. Very fun yet girly at the same time. We are only inviting 4 girls to stay and in the inside of the card, all along the bottom I stamped different girls in Pretty In Pink ink. Not enough color to scream at you, but just enough to see the girls. I then used a Regal Rose marker and wrote the name of each girl next to the one that represented her. They were in a row straight across the bottom inside of the card. It turned out so cute! There are Cotton Candy Stickles on the dress and party hat of the girl on the front. Be praying for my survival a week from tonight as we have our first sleepover!

Look What I Got!

Christine at All That Scraps is beginning to plan the 1st Birthday of C.C. Designs stamps. It incredible that it is HER birthday but design team members we got an incredible birthday present FROM her! Look at what was waiting for me today!! Can you say background stamps? A new Lucky and Lulu set (special appearance by the monkey and a much needed accessory), some cute chickies, a great set for Father's Day cards and more!!! I can't wait to start playing with these and sneaking you some peaks!!!

Staples?

I don't know, I just can't get into the look of staples. This is another swap for the DKOS swap on Splitcoaststampers. We had to use the st Always (LOVE this set!) and we had to include staples on our card and pop something up. I have never been a real fan of staples so it was really out of the box for me to include them. We also had to use these colors (we could add So Saffron if we wanted to). I made the scallop strip with my slit punch and the bird was done with the Rock and Roll technique. It is a bit difficult to roll the bird when he isn't round, but it worked out fine I think.

I hope you have a wonderful day today! I have some head cold thing that has progressed to my chest and I am coughing like crazy! I HAVE to stamp some birthday invitations for my daughter's first sleep over next week so I'll be busy today!

Supplies Used: Soft Sky cs, ink, Ruby Red cs, ink, Certainly Celery ink , cs, slit punch, staples, dimensionals, Always.

One of a Kind

This little one measures just 4 1/4" x 4 1/4". This was for another Different Kind of Swap over at Splitcoaststampers. We had to use the set One of a Kind and at least one color from the Earth Elements color family. We also had to add some embellishment. For this I stamped the flower in Chocolate Chip and then used my aquapainter to fade out the color. I cut the flower out and lightly tipped the petals up. My sentiment is punched out with the small oval punch from Stampin' Up! and raised on dimensionals. And I love the new Poly Twill Ribbon. It is in the new mini catalog and available in Chocolate Chip and Old Olive. It is so silky feeling and narrow like the gingham ribbon. I hope you have a great day. Things seem to be warming up, a little bit, here in Michigan. I hope springy weather arrives very soon!

Supplies Used: Chocolate Chip cs, ink, Soft Sky cs, ink, Paper Piercer, Small Oval Punch, dimensionals, JoAnn's bling for the center.

Love Pocket Cards!

Here is another sample using So Much. Usually when I sit down to make a card, I gravitate toward just your standard card - it's simple - grab your paper, cut it and fold. Do you do that too? I forget about all the other ways you can make your card. I like making cards that deviate from your traditional card fold, but yet I like simple things...pocket cards are very simple, yet different from the standard card! I used the ribbon to make a center to the flower. After making a hole with my Anywhere Hole Punch from my Crafter's Tool Kit, I knotted my ribbon and pulled the ribbon through so the knot would be the center of the flower. Then I pulled my ribbon ends around the card and adhered under the flap. Really simple but a fun element.

Supplies Used: Groovy Guava cs, ink, Ruby Red cs, ink, Mellow Moss cs, Moss gingham ribbon, Coluzzle,